Market Newsdesk

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the world’s most trusted solution for protecting and delivering digital experiences, has been recognized by Gartner as a Leader in the 2021 Magic Quadrant for Web Application and API Protection (WAAP). Gartner analysts evaluated eleven vendors based upon their ability to execute and completeness of vision. Akamai was placed highest in ability to execute in the newly-named report. The report is an evolution of the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Web Application Firewalls where Akamai was named a Leader the past four consecutive years by Gartner.

Gartner also published its 2021 Critical Capabilities for Cloud Web Application and API Protection report. This is a companion report to the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Web Application and API Protection, which evaluates WAAP offerings’ ability to protect web applications and APIs. In the report, Akamai received the highest scores in three out of the four use cases including API Security and DevOps  (3.60/5), High Security (3.76/5), and Web-Scale Business Application (3.91/5).

According to Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Application Security, 2021, “Cloud web application and API protection products are cloud-delivered multifunction web application security products, integrating at least four core features: web application firewall, DDoS protection, bot management and API protection. WAAP is an evolution of the role of the web application firewall, driven by enterprises’ need to better defend against multiple threat vectors while significantly growing their number of publicly exposed web applications and APIs.”

Akamai has seen the dramatic increase in API calls firsthand. Securing APIs requires solutions that are tailored to deal with deep API message inspection, API specification management, authentication and authorization, and anti-automation.

Gartner states, “Security and risk management leaders should favor WAAP that provides easy-to-consume controls and more specialized protections against advanced bots and evolving API attacks.”  According to Gartner, “By 2026, 40% of organizations will select their WAAP provider based on advanced API protections, as well as web application security features.

Akamai believes that a holistic web application and API protection solution includes adjacent security capabilities that cover an ever-expanding range of threats. In 2020, Akamai was the first cloud WAAP solution to introduce automatic API discovery and profiling capabilities.

Earlier this year, Akamai introduced the Adaptive Security Engine, a core foundation for its web application security portfolio designed to automatically adapt protections with the sophistication of attacks, while reducing the effort to maintain and tune policies. Bot visibility and mitigation capabilities are also included to provide insight into the impact of bots on digital properties.

“The one constant in web application and API security is change,” said Amol Mathur, Vice President of Application and Network Security Product Management, Akamai. “Akamai has continued to deliver significant advancements in our WAAP products that make it easier for our customers to keep pace with the rapidly accelerating and changing threat landscape, while simultaneously increasing operational efficiencies and developer tooling. We believe these important advancements in our WAAP portfolio contributed to our Leader position in this Gartner Magic Quadrant report.”

Continued Customer Recognition

According to the report, “Akamai’s customers give the vendor high marks for customer support experience, including the expertise and assistance they receive from both technical support and managed services.” Additionally, Akamai’s ability to protect data, websites and applications and the ease of use of its web security solutions is confirmed by customers.

Based on reviews on Gartner Peer Insights as of September 20, 2021, here’s what Akamai customers had to say:

• A Technical Lead in the services industry says, “This software (Kona Site Defender) has great features in order to protect business assets and organizational resources from DDoS attacks and various cyber threats. It provides high accuracy while dealing with threats. It can protect both websites and devices including mobile with great accuracy. It can block malicious websites and content related to advertisements that might damage business security.”
• A Software Development Engineer in the retail industry says, “Best Security Product For DDoS And Web Application Attacks. “KSD is the best security tool I have used. It’s simple and easy and the support is amazing. The fact that KSD offers customizable protections is very helpful and the features are all useful and on point.”
• A Cyber Automation Expert in the finance industry says, “We have been working with Akamai to protect our core assets and it has been worth every dollar spent. We run an yearly DDoS simulation exercise to test Akamai DDoS and WAF controls and the results justify the investment.”
• A Network Product Manager in the finance industry says, “Kona has provided a significant improvement in security and provides visibility that was not previously available. It is a core product in our strategy for securing our customer-facing applications.”

A complimentary copy of the complete report, Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Web Application and API Protection, 20 September 2021, including the Magic Quadrant graphic, is available here. For additional information regarding Akamai’s WAAP offerings, visit here.

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Web Application and API Protection, Jeremy D’Hoinne, Rajpreet Kaur, John Watts, Adam Hils, Shilpi Handa, 20 September 2021.

Gartner, Critical Capabilities for Cloud Web Application and API Protection, John Watts, Adam Hils, Jeremy D’Hoinne, Shilpi Handa, 20 September 2021.

Gartner, Hype Cycle for Application Security, 2021, Joerg Fritsch, 12 July 2021.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Gartner Peer Insights reviews constitute the subjective opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences and do not represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates.

About Akamai

Akamai secures and delivers digital experiences for the world’s largest companies. Akamai’s intelligent edge platform surrounds everything, from the enterprise to the cloud, so customers and their businesses can be fast, smart, and secure. Top brands globally rely on Akamai to help them realize competitive advantage through agile solutions that extend the power of their multi-cloud architectures. Akamai keeps decisions, apps and experiences closer to users than anyone — and attacks and threats far away. Akamai’s portfolio of edge security, web and mobile performance, enterprise access and video delivery solutions is supported by unmatched customer service, analytics and 24/7/365 monitoring. To learn why the world’s top brands trust Akamai, visit www.akamai.com, blogs.akamai.com, or @Akamai on Twitter. You can find our global contact information at www.akamai.com/locations.

Contacts:
Tim Whitman
Media Relations
617-444-3019
[email protected]

Tom Barth

Investor Relations
617-274-7130
[email protected]

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.

NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Last week, Orbis International, with generous support from FedEx, launched a new virtual Flying Eye Hospital project that will train eye care professionals across China to treat diabetic retinopathy, a sight-threatening condition that every person living with diabetes is at risk of developing. China has one of the world’s highest rates of diabetes. About 10% of the country’s population (over 100 million people) has diabetes, while roughly 30 million people suffer from diabetic retinopathy and are at risk of becoming blind.

The five-week virtual Flying Eye Hospital project launched today will enable participating ophthalmologists and ophthalmology residents to build their skills in identifying, managing and treating diabetic retinopathy in their patients. Training will be carried out in Mandarin through live lectures delivered by Orbis’s Volunteer Faculty (medical experts).

Ensuring that communities have access to quality eye care, including routine eye screenings, is critical to curbing the uptick of diabetic retinopathy. The condition does not have symptoms in its early stages, and without being identified and treated in a timely manner, it can cause gradual vision loss or blindness that cannot be reversed.

“For the past four decades, FedEx has supported Orbis in preventing and curing blindness across the world,” said Eddy Chan, senior vice president & president FedEx China. “Being a responsible corporate citizen in China, we’re committed to supporting local communities. We’re glad that the new virtual Flying Eye Hospital project will improve the skills of eye care professionals and enable communities to have access to quality eye care for diabetic retinopathy.”

Orbis’s Flying Eye Hospital is the world’s only fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft. For nearly four decades, the Flying Eye Hospital has traveled the world delivering best-in-class training for eye care professionals in areas with the greatest need. Due to the impact of COVID-19, Orbis reimagined its Flying Eye Hospital trainings as virtual ones in 2020 to ensure that eye care teams could still access critical training safely during the pandemic. Last year, Orbis’s virtual Flying Eye Hospital projects had over 850 enrollments by participants from 9 countries. Orbis expects to reach 20 countries through its virtual Flying Eye Hospital projects this year.

“As people live longer lives, as the world’s population grows, and as lifestyle changes cause an uptick in conditions like diabetic retinopathy, we are seeing a growing number of people around the world with sight-threatening conditions who need eye care,” said Derek Hodkey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbis International. “Responding to this urgent need cannot slow down because of the pandemic. Partners like FedEx make it possible for us to continue getting quality ophthalmic training into the hands of the eye care teams that need it most.”

For almost four decades, FedEx has played an indispensable role in helping Orbis achieve its mission, including the donation of the MD-10 aircraft that serves as the third-generation Flying Eye Hospital, and being a Global Title Sponsor of the Flying Eye Hospital since 2020 through its Delivering for Good initiative. Now as the Exclusive Title Sponsor of the newly launched virtual Flying Eye Hospital project, FedEx’s continued support is playing a vital role in preventing avoidable blindness around the world.

Orbis has worked in China since the Flying Eye Hospital visited Guangzhou in 1982. Since then, Orbis has conducted 40 Flying Eye Hospital programs in China. In 2000, Orbis began carrying out long-term projects in China that strengthen local eye care systems by providing training and equipment, focusing on improving children’s eye health, alleviating blindness caused by cataracts and addressing complex emerging diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Over the years, Orbis has carried out 220 projects in 25 regions in China, trained over 20,000 health workers, conducted over 4.5 million screenings and completed over 130,000 sight-saving operations.

About Orbis
Orbis is a leading global non-governmental organization that has been a pioneer in the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness for nearly four decades. Orbis transforms lives by delivering the skills, resources and knowledge needed to deliver accessible quality eye care. Working in collaboration with local partners, including hospitals, universities, government agencies and ministries of health, Orbis provides hands-on ophthalmology training, strengthens healthcare infrastructure and advocates for the prioritization of eye health on public health agendas. Orbis operates the world’s only Flying Eye Hospital, a fully accredited ophthalmic teaching hospital on board an MD-10 aircraft, and an award-winning telemedicine platform, Cybersight. For the past ten consecutive years, Orbis has achieved Charity Navigator‘s coveted four-star rating for demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency, placing Orbis in the top 3% of U.S. charities. In 2021, Orbis earned GuideStar‘s platinum Seal of Transparency. To learn more, please visit orbis.org.

About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of $87 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively and innovating digitally under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its 560,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit about.fedex.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Orbis International
Kristin Taylor
Director, Global Communications and Marketing
[email protected]

FedEx
Xiang-Xin Bao
Senior Specialist, Corporate Communications
[email protected] 

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SOURCE Orbis International

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Paychex, Inc., a leading provider of integrated human capital management (HCM) software solutions for human resources, payroll, benefits, and insurance services, has announced new enhancements designed to help employers hire and keep top talent in an ever-changing business climate, improve efficiency through automation, and provide access to HR information whenever and wherever is most convenient to them and their employees.

“The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation in many organizations, changed the long-term employment landscape, and drastically increased the competition for talent,” said Tom Hammond, Paychex vice president of corporate strategy and product management. “The products included in our most recent release were developed to help employers meet candidate and worker demand for increased flexibility, more competitive benefits, and easier access to HR data and information.”

“According to recently commissioned Paychex research, an opportunity to introduce more efficiency and automation is a primary reason businesses are shopping for new HR technology,” added Maureen Lally, Paychex vice president of marketing. “We conduct ongoing market research to understand the evolving needs and behaviors of our customers and prospects so that we can design our products and services to meet those expectations. These most recent research findings clearly underscore the need for the offerings featured in our fall launch.”   

Highlighting the Paychex Fall ’21 release are:

• Paychex Pre-Check: In today’s competitive hiring environment, payroll accuracy and timeliness are paramount to retention. Initiated through Paychex Flex^®, the company’s SaaS-based HR software, employees are notified on the channel of their choice – including smart watches and smart speakers – that their gross-to-net paystub is ready to be securely reviewed. Employees may perform the review in Paychex Flex mobile app and are prompted to confirm the amount’s accuracy or report an issue to the employer’s administrator, who can address the potential issue before payday. 
   
• Talent Management: In light of the “Great Resignation,” retention has become a critical component of any talent strategy. Paychex has introduced three new resources within Paychex Flex to help inform HR decisions:
   
• 
  Retention Insights:
   A predictive analytic based on dozens of data points to identify employees who may be more likely to consider leaving the organization.  
   
• 
  Pay Benchmarking:
   Allows employers to compare compensation details by position against national data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
   
• 
  Talent Dashboard:
   Takes compensation a step further with a dashboard that pulls together Retention Insights, time off balances, and performance management ratings into one place, allowing administrators to compare the performance rating and compensation of each job position.
   
• Amazon Alexa Integration: The expansion of conversational AI and voice integration across Paychex Flex makes it easy for users to interact with the application from anywhere. With the addition of Amazon Alexa to existing integrations with Google Assistant™ and Siri^® Shortcuts, Paychex Flex is the first HCM application to offer integration with three of the major voice assistant platforms.
   
• Paychex Flex Time-off Management: A new solution to help employers save time and reduce manual tasks while offering a clear, real-time view of time-off balances, this provides organizations a cohesive system for tracking time off. For customers leveraging Paychex Flex and Paychex Flex Time, the process is automated.
   
• Globalization Partners: With more businesses allowing remote work and the talent ecosystem broadening worldwide, Paychex has aligned with Globalization Partners to offer international payroll and HR services for Paychex customers who are hiring outside of the U.S.

“Our data suggests hiring and wages are both on the rise, which is an encouraging sign that the negative economic impacts of the pandemic are waning – but the road ahead won’t be easy for employers or employees,” said Hammond. “COVID-19 forever changed our thinking about how, when, and where work gets done. Work from home has shifted recruiting to a national level, introducing a critical need to ensure compensation and benefits are aligned to national averages. The strategic investments we’re continuing to make to our software solutions will arm organizations with the tools they need to hire, engage, and retain the talent that will drive business success well into the future.”

Visit payx.me/fall2021 to learn more about how these Paychex solutions are enabling the future of work.

About Paychex

Paychex, Inc. (Nasdaq: PAYX) is a leading provider of integrated human capital management software solutions for human resources, payroll, benefits, and insurance services. By combining its innovative software-as-a-service technology and mobility platform with dedicated, personal service, Paychex empowers small- and medium-sized business owners to focus on the growth and management of their business. Backed by 50 years of industry expertise, Paychex served more than 710,000 payroll clients as of May 31, 2021 across more than 100 locations in the U.S. and Europe, and pays one out of every 12 American private sector employees. Learn more about Paychex by visiting paychex.com and stay connected on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts

Tracy Volkmann

Paychex, Inc.
(585) 387-6705
[email protected] 
@Paychex

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SOURCE Paychex, Inc.

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY) and Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) today announced the fifth annual Southern Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit will take place on November 4 at the UNLV Greenspun Hall Auditorium with a simultaneous live webcast for virtual attendance.

Summit 2021, also sponsored by the UNLV Greenspun College of Urban Affairs and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, will bring together community sector leaders and youth with lived experience of homelessness in a day-long forum designed to harness new understandings and approaches emerging during the global pandemic and through racial justice developments to refine and adapt the strategies outlined in the Southern Nevada Plan to End Youth Homelessness.

“Through the tremendous challenges our community has faced during the past year and a half, we’ve found unexpected opportunities to re-think how to better serve vulnerable youth,” said Arash Ghafoori, CEO, NPHY. “As service providers and community leaders become more creative in tackling new problems, innovative solutions are coming to the forefront. We have a huge opportunity to evolve the Movement to End Youth Homelessness to better serve vulnerable youth, and Summit 2021 will begin that process.”

Summit 2021 plans include:

• A featured panel discussion to identify new resources and promising practices for solving the youth homelessness crisis, including Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts; Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones; Chris James, state coordinator for education services for youth experiencing homelessness at the Nevada Department of Education; Tim Burch, Clark County Administrator of Human Services; Christina Vela, Chief Executive Director, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children; and Theresa Butler, outreach coordinator for Young Adults in Charge (YAC). Robert Ulmer, Ph.D., dean of the University Nevada Las Vegas Greenspun College of Urban Affairs will moderate.

• An update on the Movement to End Youth Homelessness from NPHY

• An educational and thought-provoking performance by young leaders with lived experience of homelessness

• An interactive community input session to outline new priorities for the Movement

The Southern Nevada Youth Homelessness Summit was established in 2017 to address the region’s severe youth homelessness crisis. For years, Las Vegas/Clark County has ranked in the top major metropolitan areas with the largest numbers of unaccompanied homeless children and youth, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nevada also has had one of the highest rates of unsheltered homeless children and youth living alone on the streets, with the overwhelming majority of these youth located in Southern Nevada.

In 2018, the community came together at the second annual Summit to introduce the first-ever Southern Nevada Plan to End Youth Homelessness, outlining solutions for sustainable change. While the Plan achieved numerous successes in its initial years, recent events have both necessitated adjustments and revealed new opportunities to address the current environment and risk factors for youth homelessness.

“Truly solving this crisis and creating a safety net for vulnerable youth will take every organization – public and private – as well as all citizens working together to ensure no young person has to face a lack of shelter or the resources they need to grow and flourish,” said Ron Reese, senior vice president of global communications and corporate affairs at Sands. “We challenge the community to get involved in one of our region’s most critical issues.”

Summit 2021 will follow safety protocols for in-person attendance at UNLV, including requiring attendees to wear face coverings, and a livestream will provide a virtual option for attendance. To register for the in-person and virtual options or for more information, attendees can visit nphy.org/summit21.

About Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY)
For the past 20 years, NPHY has been the most comprehensive service provider for the thousands of homeless youth in Southern Nevada, serving hundreds of youth through our core programs and touching the lives of thousands more through outreach each year. NPHY’s programs stabilize homeless teens’ lives, meeting their immediate needs and providing a safe, supportive environment and a path to self-sufficiency. Through our work with homeless youth, NPHY creates productive, healthy adults who contribute to society. Strengthening and complementing our high-quality direct services for homeless youth, NPHY is dedicated to advocating with and for the Vegas Valley’s homeless youth population and serves as a leader in systems-level efforts to eliminate homelessness among Nevada’s youth. For more information or to support our life-changing work for homeless youth, please visit www.nphy.org. 

About Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS)
Las Vegas Sands is the world’s preeminent developer and operator of world-class Integrated Resorts. We deliver unrivaled economic benefits to the communities in which we operate.  

Sands created the meetings, incentives, convention and exhibition (MICE)-based Integrated Resort. Our industry-leading Integrated Resorts provide substantial contributions to our host communities including growth in leisure and business tourism, sustained job creation and ongoing financial opportunities for local small and medium-sized businesses.

Our properties include The Venetian Resort and Sands Expo in Las Vegas, and the iconic Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Through majority ownership in Sands China Ltd., we have developed the largest portfolio of properties on the Cotai Strip in Macao, including The Venetian Macao, The Plaza and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, The Londoner Macao and The Parisian Macao, as well as the Sands Macao on the Macao Peninsula.

Sands is dedicated to being a good corporate citizen, anchored by the core tenets of serving people, planet and communities. We deliver a great working environment for our team members worldwide, drive social impact through the Sands Cares community engagement and charitable giving program and lead in environmental performance through the award-winning Sands ECO360 global sustainability program. To learn more, please visit www.sands.com.

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SOURCE Las Vegas Sands

CINCINNATI and LAS VEGAS, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Kroger Co. Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen took the stage in Las Vegas at Groceryshop, a leading U.S. event for the retail, grocery, and consumer packaged goods industries, for its annual conference during the opening keynote themed Kroger Delivers the Future of Grocery Shopping Now.

McMullen shared the company’s continued focus on leading with fresh and accelerating with digital by leveraging its complementary assets to create innovative solutions for customers, a continually improving workplace for associates, and a more sustainable operation for the planet.

“Kroger’s ability to proactively and strategically leverage our assets has positioned us to lead and thrive,” said McMullen. “Our relentless focus on serving our customers, uplifting our associates, and living our purpose to feed the human spirit has guided us through the many unknowns of COVID-19 and these principles will continue to shape our culture and operations as we continue to transform and capitalize on the momentum we’re experiencing.”

“Groceryshop is honored to have industry giants like Kroger join us for this year’s conference,” said Krystina Gustafson, senior vice president of content for Shoptalk and former CNBC retail reporter, who interviewed McMullen for the keynote conversation. “The sector has evolved immensely in the past 18 months, and Rodney McMullen’s perspective emphasized just how much consumer behavior has changed and how retailers are responding and evolving to meet new expectations.”

McMullen shared the following five insights at Groceryshop:

1. 
The Customer is Going to Win
In today’s highly competitive and dynamic grocery retail environment, the customer is going to win. Kroger continues to expand and enhance its seamless ecosystem to create a model where customers will not have to compromise on freshness, quality, selection, pricing, convenience, or speed – no matter if they want groceries now or tomorrow or want to shop in-store or online. Kroger doubled its digital business in 2020 and has committed to doubling its digital business again and profitability by the end of 2023. Kroger’s digital business continues to grow, as does Kroger Precision Marketing, its retail media business. McMullen emphasized the company currently has nearly 11 million daily retail customers and four million daily online customers.

2. 
Think Food. Think Kroger.
Kroger understands customers’ meal and food needs shift by day, week, and even hour… and surely by occasion. To solve for this, the company is continually innovating and scaling its industry-leading assets, including associates, stores, supply chain, fulfillment network, fleet, technology systems, and data and insights, as well as strategic partners, all to advance its seamless ecosystem that combines traditional shopping solutions with strategic innovation. As an example, last week Kroger introduced Kroger Delivery Now in collaboration with Instacart. The 30-minute delivery solution complements Kroger’s existing assets by leveraging the retailer’s network of stores and Instacart’s on-demand fulfillment network to provide customers what they want when they need it. The new offering meets the customer need for immediacy without compromising on freshness, selection, value, experience, and speed, a retail industry first.

3. 
Kroger Enhances the Associate Experience
Kroger continues to invest in its nearly half a million associates who have done an extraordinary job leading and operating stores, e-commerce operations, pharmacies, supply chains, and manufacturing facilities through the COVID-19 public health crisis. Kroger’s proactive approach to uplifting associates over recent years is helping the company navigate the challenging labor market. McMullen remarked that the company entered 2021 by planning to invest $350 million in hourly wage increases for associates this year, in addition to the $800 million the company invested in wages between 2018 and 2020. The company’s average hourly wage is now more than $16 an hour and with comprehensive benefits factored in, the wage will be approaching $21 by the end of 2021. McMullen commented 70% of current store leaders began as an hourly associate, emphasizing Kroger is a place where you can come from a job and stay for a career. He also highlighted associate benefits like the company’s education assistance program that provides up to $21,000 for both part-time and full-time associates – over the course of their career – and covers a GED to PhD. Kroger is currently hiring for more than 20,000 positions in advance of the holiday season and will host a nationwide hiring event on October 13 to recruit for store, e-commerce, corporate, manufacturing, logistics, and pharmacy talent. Kroger invites individuals to apply at jobs.kroger.com.

4. 
Kroger Celebrates Four-Year Anniversary of Zero Hunger | Zero Waste
Through Kroger’s Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social and environmental impact plan—the centerpiece of the company’s environmental, social, and governance strategy—the company continues to break down barriers to food access and capture the full value of food produced across the U.S. food system. Through the plan, Kroger is committed to creating communities free of hunger and waste by inspiring associates and customers, investing resources, and activating partnerships. Over the past four years, Kroger has donated 1.8 billion meals to communities – 641 million meals in 2020 alone – provided $1.2 billion in charitable giving, and drove a 20% reduction in retail food waste generated. During the conversation, McMullen announced a special donation of 10 meals on behalf of every attendee at Groceryshop, totaling 25,000 meals to Three Square, Southern Nevada’s only food bank and the area’s largest hunger-relief organization.

5. 
Kroger Looks Ahead to What’s Next
Kroger’s vision is to serve America through food inspiration and uplift, and it remains focused on where its customers, as well as broader food market, will be in 10 years. Through its growing seamless ecosystem, the company will continue to expand its reach and enter additional new geographies by leveraging assets like Kroger Delivery customer fulfillment centers. McMullen shared the new Kroger Delivery operation in Florida has ramped up faster than expected, unlocking additional ways of executing and operating and resulting in high customer repeat rates and net promoter scores.

He also predicts there will be a sustained trend of customers choosing to cook at home versus restaurant dining because it presents a way to better stretch food dollars, eat healthier, and prepare household favorites as well as new recipes.

About Kroger
At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11 million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, about the future performance of the company. These statements are based on management’s assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Such statements are indicated by the words “continue,” “strategy,” “will,” “committed,” “vision,” and “predicts.” These forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially. We assume no obligation to update the information contained herein. Please refer to Kroger’s reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties.

About Groceryshop

A Hyve Group plc (LSE: HYVE:LN) event, Groceryshop produces the leading online and offline events for innovation in grocery and consumer packaged goods (CPG), covering the evolution of grocery retailers, including supermarkets, mass merchants, convenience stores, drug stores, club/warehouse stores, discount stores and ecommerce players. Groceryshop events deal with the rapid changes in the production and distribution of CPG, including fresh and packaged foods and beverages along with beauty, personal care, household and health products. Groceryshop events also address the disruptive shifts in how consumers discover, shop and buy these products in an increasingly wide range of stores and online destinations, including the latest technologies, trends and business models. For more information, visit www.groceryshop.com.

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SOURCE The Kroger Co.

JOHANNESBURG
, Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced that financial institutions across Africa have selected hybrid cloud and AI capabilities from IBM to unlock digital innovation and continue their work to develop digital-first solutions, ultimately aiming to broaden access to financial services on the continent.

COVID-19 continues to accelerate the already rapid changes that were happening across the financial services sector in Africa, fast-tracking the adoption of digital technologies to boost financial inclusion. As banks focus their efforts on open innovation, security and high-value services, hybrid cloud solutions have become increasingly important to deliver seamless and secured digital banking experiences.

“Enterprises face unique challenges when it comes to balancing innovation and regulatory compliance, especially those in highly regulated industries like financial services,” says Alan Peacock, General Manager, IBM Cloud. “For decades, IBM has been fuelling the transformation of the financial services industry, bringing IBM’s industry experience and leadership in security and data privacy to help banks address those challenges and modernize, transform their operations and offer innovation to their customers.”

“In the past year we have seen banks navigate changes brought on by a growing preference for digital and mobile solutions, increasing smartphone penetration and the demand for convenience, innovation, and simplicity from today’s modern consumer,” says Angela Kyerematen-Jimoh, Regional, General Manager for IBM North, East and West Africa. “As banks across the continent take advantage of the opportunity to provide digital financial services which can boost financial inclusion, IBM is working with Africa’s financial groups to deliver intelligent, cloud-based, digital-first innovation through IBM’s hybrid cloud and AI capabilities.”

Ecobank, the pan-African banking conglomerate with banking operations in 33 African countries, has adopted a hybrid cloud approach to extend its reach to millions across Africa. Using IBM Cloud, Ecobank migrated their flagship mobile banking application to leverage the on-demand capacity of resources that can support sudden spikes in traffic on its mobile banking services. Ecobank also has access to other IBM cloud services that can be used to develop more innovative, digital-first solutions to enhance their own client experience.

With over 12 million customers on its flagship mobile application, Ecobank is on an accelerated digital banking transformation journey and is set out to expand its digital offerings and grow the 30 million digital transactions it already processes on its platforms. As part of this journey, the Pan-African banking conglomerate has built scalable business solutions which allow for ease of integration with third-party providers using their open digital banking platform for a growing customer base.

Attijariwafa bank, the Pan African Banking and Financial Group, has adopted IBM hybrid cloud solutions to help advance the digitisation of its banking operations, and more quickly bring new digital services to its customers, all in a security-rich and flexible environment. Using IBM Cloud Paks that are built on Red Hat OpenShift, the bank can streamline and integrate front-and back-office processes to modernise business and IT operations.

By deploying IBM Cloud Paks, Attijariwafa bank aims to modernise and manage its core banking applications like its corporate banking application, in a secured, integrated and scalable environment. This can create richer and simpler customer interactions while helping decrease the time to bring new offerings to market. It can also enable the banks’ employees to focus their effort and time on serving their customers better.

This collaboration with IBM supports the digital transformation strategy of the bank and is designed to facilitate a full modernisation of the bank’s operations in an open, hybrid cloud environment.

United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA), Africa’s global bank operating in 23 countries and with headquarters in Nigeria, has set a goal to grow its transaction volume significantly over the next few years and to deepen retail market penetration. To achieve this, they would be required to attract the unbanked, acquire new customers through digital banking and retain existing customers by adopting a “No Transaction Must Fail (NTMF)” initiative. 

Using IBM POWER9-based servers, Flash system storage and IBM PowerVC (Power system virtualization & cloud management), UBA set up a scalable, private cloud environment that is designed to be cost-effective as the bank takes its first step towards embracing a hybrid cloud model.

Customers’ needs are evolving as they seek banking services across channels and expect personalization. Co-operative Bank of Kenya turned to IBM to modernize their core banking platform and reach their customers on different channels including mobile and online while offering customized services driven by insights. For this, they required a technology that would also empower their employees who work across teams to simplify processes and optimize customer data, while also achieving goals like reducing infrastructure and maintenance costs. With IBM Power and FlashStorage solutions, they now have an infrastructure designed to improve insights on customer data, speed query resolutions and time-to-market on new services across channels – all backed by highly available, scalable, cloud-and AI-ready technology.

Banco Mais, a bank in Mozambique, turned to IBM to help streamline its business processes and reduce turnaround times for customer-facing services. In the face of a growing competitive market locally, Banco Mais aimed to develop financial service products faster to retain and gain market share. Banco Mais implemented IBM Business Process Manager on Cloud service and was able to start projects faster and deploy process application solutions without the need to build the IT infrastructure. By turning to this IBM Cloud solution, they developed, tested, ran and monitored their business processes at a fraction of the time it would otherwise have taken. As a result, Banco Mais reports that they reduced turnaround time for loans by 60% and decreased the time it took to implement services that took 3 to 4 months by 85% to improve customer experiences.

Pan-African bank Nedbank aims to deliver superior digital experiences to its customers. To achieve this, the bank is modernizing its core banking applications with a hybrid cloud strategy and has turned to IBM to help bring digital products and services to market. To take advantage of the flexibility and agility offered by modern cloud technologies on this digitalization journey, Nedbank explored a hybrid, multicloud approach, using the IBM Garage methodology to implement IBM Cloud Pak for Integration in order to integrate legacy systems. Through IBM Garage, the bank was able to deep dive and explore fresh solutions and in a matter of weeks achieved what would have taken them months. This has enabled Nedbank to shift their legacy applications into the cloud and integrate with other cloud-based applications as they modernize and position for future innovation.

Earlier this year, IBM announced the general availability of the industry’s first financial services-ready cloud platform, IBM Cloud for Financial Services, as well IBM Cloud Satellite. First revealed in 2019, the IBM Cloud for Financial Services is designed to help reduce risk for financial institutions, their partners and FinTechs, and innovate quickly with built-in controls that are adhered to by the entire ecosystem. IBM Cloud Satellite brings a secured, unifying layer of cloud services for clients across environments, regardless of where their data resides. As workloads shift to the edge, IBM Cloud Satellite helps clients deliver low latency, while still enabling them to have the same levels of security, data privacy, interoperability and open standards found in hybrid cloud environments.

To learn more about IBM’s insights and solutions for banks, insurers and other financial services providers, please visit:  www.ibm.com/industries/financial-services

About Ecobank: https://ecobank.com/ 
About Attijariwafa Bank: www.attijariwafabank.com 
About UBA: www.ubagroup.com 
About Co-operative Bank of Kenya: https://www.co-opbank.co.ke/  
About Banco Mais: www.bancomais.co.mz
About Nedbank: www.nedbank.co.za

Contact:
Suzanne Cross
IBM Communications
[email protected]

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SOURCE IBM

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Duke Energy Florida is celebrating National Clean Energy Week by delivering on its commitment to expand its clean energy portfolio.

“From solar sites to energy storage, electric vehicle chargers and microgrids, we are transforming the energy landscape in Florida,” said Duke Energy Florida state president Melissa Seixas. “We’ve heard from our customers that generating cleaner energy and offering environmentally friendly options are important to them, and this week we are pleased to note significant milestones on the road to a smarter energy future.”

Solar generation commitment

Since the late 1980s, Duke Energy has been advancing solar technologies in Florida. The Company is well on its way to a major milestone by completing 10 new solar projects by 2022. Seven of those facilities are already in service, while the remaining three are being built.

The 74.9-megawatt (MW) Sandy Creek Solar Power Plant is expected to be finished by spring 2022. The facility will complete Duke Energy Florida’s $1 billion investment to provide customers with 700 MW of clean energy.

Further, the company proudly announced an additional 750 MW of solar generation this year to be completed between 2022 through 2024. This represents another $1 billion investment and adds 10 new solar sites. The location of six sites have been announced, with another four sites expected to be chosen in 2022.

Through reduction in the use of fossil fuels, these 10 most recent projects are projected to lower the emission of global warming gases such as CO₂ at an average rate of over 700,000 tons per year.

With a combined investment of over $2 billion, Duke Energy Florida’s solar generation portfolio will include 25 grid-tied solar power plants which will benefit all Florida customers and will provide about 1,500 MW of emission-free generation and approximately 5 million solar panels in the ground by 2024.

Video of installation of 1 millionth solar panel at Columbia Solar Power Plant

Video of Columbia plant, from drone

Battery energy storage systems

By 2022, Duke Energy is expected to have six battery sites in operation in Florida, totaling more than 50 MW of energy storage. Five of the six sites are expected to be complete by the end of 2021.

Duke Energy’s energy storage plays a significant and evolving role in how energy is delivered to customers now and in the future. Through energy storage and microgrids, the Company can enable the integration of more renewables onto the grid and help improve reliability and security while keeping costs affordable for customers.

• The company’s first utility-scale solar plus battery project, which will consist of 45 MW of solar and 18 MW of battery storage, is expected to be completed later this year at the Lake Placid Solar Power Plant and Battery Energy Storage System site.
• An 11-MW lithium-based battery energy storage system located 30 miles west of Gainesville in Trenton, Fla. is expected to be complete by the end of 2021. The system will continue to improve power reliability using newer technologies.
• An 8.25-MW lithium-based battery energy storage system is under construction in the town of Micanopy, Fla. The system provides a cost-effective solution for focused power quality and reliability for the town and nearby neighbors. It is anticipated to be operational by late 2021.
• A 5.5-MW lithium-based battery energy storage system located in Cape San Blas, Fla., will provide additional power capacity to meet our customers’ increasing demand for energy. This project is an economical alternative to replacing distribution equipment to accommodate local growth.
• The 5.5-MW Jennings, Fla., lithium-based battery system will continue to improve power reliability through energy storage as an alternative and affordable solution to installing new and more costly distribution equipment.
• A 3.5-MW microgrid of solar-plus storage is underway at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg, Fla, which also operates as a special needs emergency shelter for Pinellas County. The system is expected to be in operation mid-2022.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging

Duke Energy launched the Park & Plug pilot program in 2018 to expand access to EV charging stations. Since that time, approximately 600 EV chargers have been added in public spaces and thoroughfares in Florida.

These easily accessible locations across Florida include:

• Over 178 public level 2 chargers at local businesses.
• 41 DC Fast Chargers in public locations.
• Over 214 level 2 chargers in multi-unit dwellings.
• Over 157 level 2 chargers in workplaces.

The DC Fast Chargers are in strategic locations connecting major and key secondary corridors and evacuation routes in Florida. This creates critical infrastructure needed for EV adoption and helps reduce range anxiety.

• US 19/98 Corridor – Units installed at Apalachicola, Dunedin, Crystal River and Perry. These are currently the only Fast Chargers connecting St. Petersburg to Tallahassee.
• US 98 – Two units installed in Chiefland.
• US 27 Corridor – Units installed in Sebring, Avon Park and Cagan’s Crossing.
• I-4 Corridor – Units installed in Deltona, Champions Gate and US 27 Exit.
• Florida Turnpike – Units installed at the Wildwood Exit, Turkey Lake Service Plaza and Canoe Creek Service Plaza.

To find EV chargers near you, visit the Greenlots app.

Duke Energy Florida

Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, owns a diverse generation mix of natural gas, coal and renewables, providing about 10,200 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 1.9 million customers in a 13,000-square-mile service area.

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America’s largest energy holding companies. Its electric utilities serve 7.9 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 51,000 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas unit serves 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The company employs 27,500 people.

Duke Energy is executing an aggressive clean energy strategy to create a smarter energy future for its customers and communities – with goals of at least a 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The company is a top U.S. renewable energy provider, on track to own or purchase 16,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2025. The company also is investing in major electric grid upgrades and expanded battery storage, and exploring zero-emitting power generation technologies such as hydrogen and advanced nuclear.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2021 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ “America’s Best Employers” list. More information is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos and videos. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Ana Gibbs
Cell: 813.928.7263
Media line: 800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy